Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Reclaim your hair! - Quick fixes to the damage!

Check the Bulb
Pluck out a strand of hair at the root and examine the base. Strong hair has a thick bulb.
If there’s no bulb, the hair follicle isn’t healthy
The cause? Damage from styling or, potentially, genetically linked hair loss.

Give It a Tug
Wrap a strand of hair around your index finger and thumb (like a piece of string), then use your other hand to tug on it.
If it snaps immediately, your hair is lacking moisture; if it stretches “like bubble gum, it needs protein, which strengthens the hair’s keratin bonds.

Do the "Sink or Float" Test
Drop a strand of hair into a glass of water.
A healthy strand will float. If it sinks, the shaft is porous.
This can happen to color-treated hair, but it can also occur with a protein deficiency.

To get a fair picture of your hair’s overall health, repeat tests on at least four strands from different parts of your head.

Stop a Bad-Hair Day Before It Starts

1. If you go outside with wet hair

Outdoor elements (wind, cool temperatures) can be rough even for dry hair. But when hair is wet, it’s actually more fragile and susceptible to breakage.

Healthy-hair fix: Try styling products designed to cut drying time.

2. If you use a subpar blow-dryer
In a cheaply made blow-dryer, the coil and motor can overheat, frying your hair’s cuticle. The tip-off: The louder the sound, the poorer the quality, But a professional blow-dryer isn't always better, . “They’re powerful and can burn hair if used incorrectly.

Healthy-hair fix: an ionic blow-dryer. Ionic technology shrinks water molecules, so hair dries faster but with less damage.

3. If you still smoke
That nasty habit is not only bad for skin — “it pollutes your hair. Smoke leaves residue on the scalp and hair, making it look dull.

Healthy-hair fix: Um, quit. Also, use a clarifying shampoo monthly, and consider a “facial” for your scalp. “Just like the rest of our skin, the skin on our scalp needs to be addressed.

4. If you don’t use UV protection
You shield your hair from UV rays at the beach, but what about at the office? “Like the sun, the fluorescent lighting in your office fades color and damages hair’s integrity.

Healthy-hair fix: Use styling products with UVB and UVA protection. “It’s important to have protectants in your styling products too. Styling products stay in hair, while your shampoo rinses out.

5. If you rely on the shampoo at your gym

Sure, it’s convenient to use the stuff provided in the locker room, but it could be stripping your tresses of essential moisture. “Most gyms choose economical detergent-like shampoos. “The pH of these shampoos is often better suited to scrub oil off the streets than the oil in your hair after a 30-minute workout.”

Healthy-hair fix: BYOB! Toting travel-size bottles of quality sulfate- and salt-free products will make a big difference in how your hair looks and feels.

6. If you wear your hair in ponytails — a lot!
If you wear your hair in a ponytail or a bun in the same spot every day, you’re causing breakage.

Healthy-hair fix: Let your hair down! But if you must put it up, “look for elastics with a plastic-y feel so they glide through hair.

7. If you frequently wield a flat iron

Women who use flat irons hit the same areas with the same intensity day after day.You can easily burn your hair.

Healthy-hair fix: “Do as much as you can with the blow-dryer. It causes less damage than an iron. Also, coat your strands with a silicone-free heat-protective serum.

8. If you don’t address your dandruff
You never want to leave dandruff to its own devices,”. The more you scratch, the worse it gets — you’ll end up damaging your scalp. And a healthy scalp means healthy hair.

Healthy-hair fix: Stop the itch with a dandruff-controlling shampoo and the latest innovation: dandruff-fighting conditioner.